God Don't Make No Junk

But when we hang our self-worth on the possession of power, talent or wealth, we are doomed to unhappiness. Abraham Lincoln once said, "God must have loved the average people. He created so many of them."

If we base our worth on a standard like that, we will always be frustrated, because it is a false system of values. But the Bible has a perspective on "important people" that is quite different from the one you get from newspapers, magazines and television.

III. The Basis of Self-Esteem

There are several things that the Bible teaches us that help us to realize how important we really are.

A. We were made in the image of God.

In the very first pages of the Bible, we get a feeling of self-worth. The world was created by God. Then, on the sixth day, we read, "Then God said, ’Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness." (Genesis 1:26).

And the same thing that was true of Adam is true of each and every one of us. We are made "in the image of God". We are not descendants of a monkey or of a jellyfish, but were created by Jehovah God himself. As Job said, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4).

I’ve sure you’ve all seen the little plague around that says something like, "I’m somebody special, cause God don’t make no junk." There’s a great deal of truth in that.

Remember a number of years ago when a little girl named Jessica fell into a well and couldn’t get out. People from all over showed up to help. Equipment was donated, people neglected their jobs to help that little girl. People all over that town waited anxiously. Eventually she was rescued. People were relieved. Everyone was happy. It was the featured news story in that town....and across the country.

Why all the fuss over one little girl? And why were we so concerned about a handful of fellow-Americans who were captured in Iraq? Because something deep within us tells us that every human life is special.

I like the words of T. S. Eliot: "...There’s something in us, In all of us which isn’t just heredity, But something unique. Something we have been from eternity. Something... straight from God."

The values of our society may look down on the average person. Maybe you’re not as fast as others, or as strong, or as good-looking, or as smart. But you were formed by the hands of God in his own likeness. And you are very special to Him.

B. God knows each and every one of us.

Listen to the psalm of a man whose value system was based on faith. It isn’t the statement of a superstar, but of a man who saw his own worth in view of his relationship with God. "O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, you know it all together." (Psalm 139:1-4). In verse six, David goes on to say "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me."

Here was a man who wasn’t frustrated. He knew his value didn’t depend on playing the leading role or being able to alter the course of history (although he did that). He was special because God knew him. And you are special for the same reason!